3aSC14. Vowel environments in minimal pair sequences.

Session: Wednesday Morning, December 4

Time:

An earlier study replicated the global fundamental frequency declination
effect over the minimal pair sentences used here. In order to test for local
influences near word boundaries, three classes of measurements (duration, mean
fundamental frequency, and fundamental frequency standard deviation or movement)
were made on vowels that immediately preceded critical segments in minimal pairs
(He found the fur meager/He found the firm eager). Preliminary results suggest
that important features of the preceding vowels in minimal pairs survive
differences of word boundary position; those features of preceding vowels do not
provide general, cross-contextual cues to presence of word boundary. Further
analysis using a speech perception task will determine whether listeners can
identify which sentence of the minimal pair has been uttered. [Work supported by
NIH.]